Reeling device



Aug. 2, 1955 R, STOCK 2,714,492

REELING DEVICE Filed Dec. 16, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor .www

Attorneys Aug. 2, 1955 R. s'rocK 2,714,492

REELING DEVICE Filed Dec. 16, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor AHsorneys nited States Patent Otice REELING DEVICE Robert Stock, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Appiication December 16, 1949, Serial No. 133,375 15 Claims. (Cl. 242-55) The present invention relates to a computing device and more particularly to a computing device of the slide rule type, constructed for desk use and having a greater accuracy than'slide rules of ordinary sizes.

The device, according to the invention, comprises a exible sheet member bearing graduations and wound on two reels and slidable relatively to a stationary sheet member also bearing graduations .adapted to be read in conjunction with those of the slidable sheet member.

Due to the fact that the movable sheet member has a substantial length, the device, according to the invention, permits of solving mathematical problems with much greater accuracy than ordinary size slide rules. Namely, it will reach an accuracy of four to live figures.

Another important object of the present invention is the provision of a computing device of the character described in which there is no play between the rotational movement of the reels and the longitudinal travelling of the movable sheet member and especially when the direction of travelling of said sheet is changed.

An important object of the present invention is the provision of a computing device of the character described which will enable the displacement of the movable sheet member in small increments in order to obtain an accurate setting of the graduations of said movable member relatively to the graduations of the stationary sheet member.

Yet another important object of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character described which is very simple in construction and which will give a prolonged service.

The foregoing and other important objects of the present invention will become more apparent during the following disclosure and by referring to the drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a computing device according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the computing device;

Figure 3 is a cross-section along line 3 3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan section along line 4 4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of another embodiment of the computing device.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate like elements throughout, the machine comprises a stationary member and a movable member corresponding to the body and slide of a slide rule respectively.

The stationary member is constituted by a flat member 30 provided with a plurality of adjacent parallel apertures Such as 31 bearing graduations along their edges.

Said apertured member Si), which may be made of sheet metal, paper or the like, is supported across the open top' casing 33 of the device and held in stretched position by end strips 34 screwed to the casing. The member Sti may or may not be protected by a pane 35 of glass or like material enclosed in the frame 36.

2,714,492 Patented Aug. 2, 1955 A sheet 37 of flexible material bears graduations so positioned as to show through said apertures 31 to be read in conjunction with the graduations of the apertured member 30. The sheet 37 is maintained in slidable contact with the underside of member 30 by means of a supporting plate 31. Said plate 31', which could be made integral with the casing 33, has elongated bosses 31 in alignment with said apertures 31 to raise the scale bearing portions of the slidable sheet 37 in order to avoid parallax while reading the scales. In the embodiment shown in Figures l, 2, 3 and 4, both ends of said sheet 37 are respectively secured to and wound around two axially parallel cylinders 38 and 39 of unequal diameter.

The cylinder 38 of smaller diameter and located at the top rear corner of the casing is mounted on shaft 4t) journalled in suitable bearings 41 fastened to or solidary with the casing.

Also mounted on said shaft is a pulley 42 rigid with cylinder 38 around which passes one end of the belt 43 which is capable of slightly sliding thereon.

The cylinder 39, of greater diameter is rotatable relative to its Supporting shaft 44 and is provided with a pawl 45 engaging a ratchet wheel 45 rigidly mounted on said shaft 44. A pulley 47 of the same diameter as that of pulley 42, is rigidly mounted on shaft 44 and engages the other end of belt 43. Manipulating knobs 48 are rigidly mounted on the free ends of shaft 44 outside the casing.

In the arrangement described, it is apparent that the cylinders 33 and 39 rotate at an equal peripheral speed in either direction due to the connection consisting of the sheet 37. But these cylinders rotate at an unequal angular speed due to their different diameters. the knobs 48 are rotated in a clockwise direction as shown in Figure 2 to wind the sheet 37 around cylinder 38, the latter draws said sheet against the frictional resistance exerted by the brake lever 49 on the arcuate surface of cylinder 39, the pawl 45 slipping over ratchet wheel 46 because the sheet 37 rotates cylinder 39 at a slower angular speed than the angular speed of rotation of shaft 44. Thus the sheet 37 is maintained taut.

Upon counterclockwise rotation, the bigger cylinder 39 rotates as a unit with its shaft and draws the sheet 37 against the frictional resistance exerted by the sliding of the belt 43 relative to at least one of the pulleys 42 and 47, because pulley 47 is rotating at a slower peripheral speed than pulley 42.

The above described arrangement ensures constant tension of the sheet 37 and entirely eliminates the slack in Said sheet upon reversal of its direction of movement. Such an arrangement works as long as the overall diameter of cylinder 38 (including the thickness of the wound sheet) remains smaller than the overall diameter of cylinder 39.

The machine, as a whole, has a slanting upper face for better reading and the casing is provided with a bottom aperture normally closed by a plate closure 51, said aperture being used to reach the internal elements of the device for dismounting or other purposes.

The machine may rest on suitable foot pads such as at 52.

Figure 5 shows another possible arrangement of the sheet winding device just described. In this case the end cylinders 53 and 54 have substantially equal diameters and are rigid with pulleys 55 and 55 respectively.

On an intermediate shaft 57 actuated by knobs such as knobs 48, are rigidly mounted a ratchet wheel 58 and a pulley 61 having a diameter equal to that of pulley 56 to which it is drivingly connected by a belt 62.

Loosely mounted on said shaft 57 and capable of relative rotation thereto is a second pulley 59 having a greater diameter than that of pulley S to which it is drivingly connected by means of a belt eti. This pulley 59 is further provided with a pawl 63 engaging ratchet wheel 58.

Thus when the pulleys and cylinders of the system are rotated in a clockwise direction (looking at Figure 5) by means of knobs 4S, the pawl 63 will slip on ratchet wheel 58 and cylinder 54 will draw the sheet 37 against the frictional resistance of brake-lever 9. When knobs 48 are rotated in counterclockwise direction, belt 60 tends to rotate cylinder 53 at a greater peripheral speed than is allowed by sheet 37 being unwound from cylinder 54, therefore slipping of one or both belts 60 and 62 occurs on their respective pulleys, whereby said sheet 37 is maintained taut. When rotation of the knobs 48 is stopped, the brake lever 49 maintains the sheet 37 in the position of the last setting. It is obvious that other similar arrangements of cylinders and other parts could be provided to obtain the result of a positive Awinding operation without play or looseness in the moving sheet 37.

While preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been illustrated and described, it is understood that various modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, l claim:

l. ln a device of the character described, a casing, two spaced apart reels rotatively mounted inside said casing for rotating in two directions, a pulley associated with each of said reels, a iiexible sheet member wound at both ends on said reels and displaceable thereby, means connecting said reels to rotate the same in a common direction, including said tlexible sheet member and an endless belt capable of slipping relative to at least one of said pulleys, means for disengaging one of said pulleys from its associated reel in one direction of rotation except through said flexible sheet member, frictional means applied to one of said reels, and means effective to urge the reel winding said flexible sheet to rotate at a greater peripheral Speed than the reel from which said flexible sheet is unwound, whereby said flexible sheet is wound over one of said reels against the friction exerted by the slipping of said belt and is wound over the other of said reels against the friction exerted by said frictional means.

2. A device of the character described comprising a flexible sheet member longitudinally displaceable in two directions, two spaced apart reels on which the ends of said sheet member are wound, a first pulley secured to one of said reels, a second pulley associated with the other of said reels rotatable relatively to the same, means connecting said second pulley to its associated reel in one direction of rotation and disconnecting the same in the other direction of rotation except by said flexible sheet member, means for braking one of said reels and means effective for driving said reels in a common direction of rotation including said flexible sheet member and an endless belt trained over said pulleys, said belt being capable of slipping relatively to at least one of the same, the relative diameters of said reels and pulleys being such that the reel that is Winding said flexible sheet at a particular moment will be urged to rotate at a greater peripheral speed than the reel from which said exible sheet is unwound whereby said flexible sheet is wound over one of said reels against the friction exerted by the slipping of the belt over at least one of said pulleys and is wound over the other of said reels against the friction exerted by said braking means.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said connecting and disconnecting means comprise a pawl and ratchet system.

4. A device of the character described comprising a casing, two reels rotatively mounted inside said casing for rotation in two directions, a flexible sheet member wound at both ends around said reels and displaceable thereby, a pulley for each of said reels, an endless belt trained over said pulleys and capable of slipping relatively to at least one of them, one of said pulleys secured to its reel, the other of said pulleys freely rotatable relative to its reel, means for connecting said second pulley and reel in one direction of rotation and disconnecting the same in the other direction of rotation except through said flexible sheet member, braking means applied to one of said reels, and exteriorly controlled actuating means, the relative diameters of said pulleys and reels being such that the reel that is winding said flexible sheet member at a particular moment will be urged to rotate'at a greater peripheral speed than the reel from which said exible sheet is unwound, whereby said flexible sheet is wound over one of said reels against the friction exerted by said belt over at least one of said pulleys and is wound over the other of said reels against the friction exerted by said braking means.

5. A device of the character described comprising a casing, two parallel spaced shafts mounted inside said casing, two reels of unequal diameters respectively mounted on said shafts for rotation in two directions, a flexible sheet member wound at both ends around said reels and displaceable thereby, a first pulley mounted on the shaft of the small diameter reel and secured to the latter, a second pulley of equal diameter fastened to the shaft of the large diameter reel, means for connecting said second pulley and said large diameter reel in one direction of rotation and for disconnecting the same in the other direction of rotation except through said flexible sheet member, an endless belt trained over said two pulleys for driving the same in a common direction of rotation and capable of slipping on at least one of said pulleys, braking means applied to said large diameter reel and actuating means whereby upon actuation of said actuating means in one direction said small diameter reel winds said flexible sheet member against the frictional resistance of said braking means against said large diameter reel and upon actuation of said actuating means in the other direction, said large diameter reel winds said flexible sheet against the friction exerted by the slipping of said belt over at least one of said pulleys.

6. A device of the character described comprising a casing, two reels rotatively mounted inside said casing at both ends thereof for rotation in two directions, a exible sheet member wound at both ends around said reels and displaceable thereby, a pulley secured to one of said reels, actuating means mounted intermediate said reels and including a second pulley, means connecting said reels to said actuating means effective to rotate the former in a common direction, said connecting means including an endless belt trained over said pulleys capable of slipping relatively to at least one of said pulleys, means for connecting said actuating means to one of said reels in one direction of rotation and for disconnecting the same in the other direction of rotation except through said flexible sheet member, frictional braking means applied to the last mentioned reel, and means effective to urge the reel winding said flexible sheet to rotate at a greater peripheral speed than the reel from which said flexible sheet is unwound, whereby said tiexible sheet is wound over one of said reels against the friction exerted by the slipping of said belt and is wound over the other of said reels against the friction exerted by said braking means.

7. A device of the character described comprising a casing, two reels rotatively mounted inside the casing at both ends thereof for rotating in two directions, a flexible sheet member wound at both ends around said reels and displaceable thereby, a first pulley secured to one of said reels, a shaft disposed intermediate said reels, a second pulley mounted on said shaft and aligned with said rst pulley, an endless belt trained over said first and second puleys and capable of slipping over at least one of the same, linking means linking said shaft to the other of said reels, clutch means for connecting said pulley on said shaft with said linking means in one direction of rotation and for disconnecting the same in the other direction of rowhereas, in the other direction, the reel from which said tation except through said ilexible sheet member, a brake flexible sheet is unwound is subjected to the frictional reapplied to one of said reels, a knob extending outside of sistance of said frictional means, whereby said exible said casing and secured to said intermediate shaft, and sheet is wound over one of said reels against the friction means effective to urge the reel winding said flexible sheet exerted by the slipping of said belt and is wound over the to rotate at a greater peripheral speed than the reel from other of said reels against the friction exerted by said fricwhich the flexible sheet is unwound, whereby said flexible tional means.

sheet is wound over one of said reels against the friction l1. `In a device of the character described, a casing, two

exerted by the slipping of said belt and is wound over the spaced apart reels rotatively mounted in said casing for other of said reels against the friction exerted by said rotating in two directions, a pulley associated with each brake. reel, a ilexible sheet member wound at its ends on said 8. A device of the character described comprising two reels and displaceable thereby, means connecting said spaced apart reels, two shafts on which said reels are rereels to rotate the same in a common direction including spectively mounted, a flexible sheet member wound at said flexible sheet member and an endless belt trained on both ends on said reels, one of said reels keyed to its assaid pulleys and capable of slipping relative to at least one sociated shaft and the other reel freely rotatable relative of said pulleys, unidirectional clutch means intermediate to its shaft, said second reel having a larger diameter one of said pulleys and its associated reel, frictional means than that of the first reel, means for connecting lsaid secapplied to one of said reels and means for tending to roond reel to its asociated shaft in one direction of rotation tate the reel that is winding said flexible sheet at a parand for disconnecting the same in the other direction of ticular moment in one direction at a greater peripheral rotation except through said iiexible sheet member, two speed than the peripheral speed at which the reel from pulleys respectively keyed to said shafts and of equal which said flexible sheet is unwound is rotating whereas, diameter, an endless belt trained over said pulleys and in the other direction, the reel from which said exible capable of ,slipping on at least one of the same, braking sheet is unwound is subjected to the frictional resistance means applied to said large diameter reel and a knob outof said frictional means, whereby said flexible sheet is side said casing secured to at least one of said shafts wound over one of said reels against the friction exerted whereby upon actuation of said knob in one direction of by the slipping of said belt and is wound over the other rotation, said small diameter reel winds said flexible sheet of said reels against the friction exerted by said frictional member against the frictional resistance of said braking means.

means against said large diameter reel and upon rotation 12. A device of the character described comprising a of said knob in the other direction, said large diameter flexible sheet member longitudinally displaceable in two reel winds said flexible sheet against the friction exerted directions, two spaced apart reels on which the ends of by the slipping of said belt over at least one of said said sheet member are wound, a first pulley secured to one pulleys. of said reels, a second pulley associated with the other of 9. In a device of the character described, a casing, two said reels, unidirectional clutching means intermediate spaced apart parallel reels rotatively mounted inside said said second pulley and its associated reel, means for brakeasing, a flexible sheet member wound at its ends on said ing one of Seid reels and means fOr driving Said reels in e reels and effective to rotate said reels in a common direc. common direction of rotation including said flexible sheet tion and to maintain the portion of said sheet member member and an endless belt trained over Seid pulleys, Seid intermediate said reels taut despite variations in the thiekbelt being Capable 0f Slipping relatively t0 at leest One 0f ness of the wound portions of Said member on both reels, said pulleys, the relative diameters of said reels and pulleys comprising said flexible Sheet member7 pulleys associated being such that the reel from which said flexible sheet is with each of said reels, one of said pulleys connected to UUWOl-md ai a Particular mOmerlf in 011e direction Will be one of Said reels, another of Said pulleys rotatable relasubjected to a force tending to rotate said reel at a slower tively to its associated reel, clutch means associated with Peripheral SPccd than the Peripheral speed ai Which the said last mentioned reel and pulley operable to rotate the r @el that 1S Winding Said ilcXibl@ Sheet iS rotating, Whereas,

Same as a unit in one direction 0f rotation and to digenin the Other CllI'eCtOIl, the reel from Said leXble gage the Same from each other in the Qther diretion of Sheet S UIlWOllIlCl S SubjCCfed t0 the fICOIlal resistance rotation, means idrivingly connecting said pulleys includ- 0f Said braking means, whereby Said lleXible Sheet is ing an endless belt trained over two of Said pulleys and wound over one of said reels against friction exerted by capable of slipping relatively thereto, braking means ap- The Slipping 0f the belt Over ai least 013e 0f Said Pulleys plied to one of said reels, and means elective to urge the and 1s Wound over the other of said reels against the fricreel winding said flexible sheet member to rotate at a iiOrl eXcried by Said braking meansgreatr peripheral speed than the reel from which said 13. A deVCe aS Claimed 1.11 Claim l2, wherein Said 11111.- exible sheet is unwound, whereby said ilexible sheet is directional clutching mcahs comprise 1 PaWl and ratchet wound over one of said reels against the friction exerted System by the Slipping of Said belt and is Wound over the other 14. A device of the character described comprising a of said reels against the friction exerted by Said braking exible sheet member longitudinally displaceable in two means- 6o directions, two spaced apart reels on which the ends of l0. In a device of the character described, a casing, two spaced apart reels rotatively mounted in said casing of said reels, a second pulley associated with the other of for rotating in two directions, a pulley associated with Said reels, unidirectional clutching means intermediate each reel, a exibie Sheet member Wound at its ends on said second pulley and its associated reel, means for brak- Said reeis and displaceable thereby, means connecting ing one of said reels ano means for driving said reels in a said reels to rotate the same in a common direction incommon direction of rotation includinff said flexible sheet cluding said flexible sheet member and an endless belt member and an endless belt trained over said pulleys trained on said pulleys and capable of slipping relative to belt being capable of slipping relatively to at least one of at least one of said pulleys, unidirectional clutch means said pulleys, the relative diameters of said reels and intermediate one of s ald pulleys and its associated reel, pulleys being such that the reel that is winding said ex frictional means applied to one of said reels and means ible sheet at a particular moment in one direction will be for tending to rotate the reel from which said flexible subjected to a force te sheet 1s unwound at a particular moment in one direction peripheral speed than the peripheral speed at which the at a slower peripheral speed than the peripheral speed at reel from which said flexible sheet is unwound is rotating, which the reel that 1s wlnding said flexible sheet is rotating T5 whereas, in the other direction, the reel from which said nding to rotate said reel at a greater 8 flexible Vsheet is unwound is subjected to the frictional re- 1,153,565 Oberg Sept. 14, 1915 sistance of said braking means, whereby said flexible sheet 1,491,828 Skinner Apr. 29, 1924 is wound over one of said reels against the friction exerted 2,143,892 Ludecke et al. Jan. 17, 1939 by the slipping of the belt over at least one of said pulleys 2,278,007 Watling Mar. 31, 1942 and is wound over the o ther of said reels against the fric- 5. FOREIGN PATENTS tion exerted by said braklng means.

15. A device as claimed in claim 14, wherein said uni- 5331945 France Dec- 23: 1921 directional clutching means comprise a pawl and ratchet 334,874 Italy Jan' 30 1936 System' 647,795 Germany July 13, 1937 1 OTHER REFERENCES References Cited in the file of this patent P 384-3 S9 f h D b 1917 f I d ages o t e ecem er issue o n us- UNITED STATES PATENTS trial Management and page 43 of the January 1918 issue 460,930 Cox OCt. 6, 1891 of said magazine. Published by the Engineering Maga- 1,120,948 Leary DeC- 15, 1914 l5 zine Co. at No. 6 East 39th Street, New York, N. Y. 

